Argus

Argus is a single-level PWAD for Doom II that was released in November 1994. It was designed by Ty Halderman and Robert Taylor as a revamped version of their Sacrifice level.

A version of this map appears on Maximum Doom.

Essentials
This map has a fairly simple main route, which only requires the blue key and can be finished quickly with less than 50% of enemies killed. When you start the map, open the door to enter the main structure, where you will find a series of rooms in succession, full of demons and former humans. Destroy the barrels to open the passage and kill the demons. After this area, you will reach a junction with a main hallway, this area is marked by an impaled human, to the right of it, you will find a passage full of imps, and at the bottom you will find the blue key. When you pick up the blue key, a group of imps will teleport into the area. After that, you can continue to the end of the hallway and you will be able to open the blue door.

Walk a bit and you will come across another door, which you can open with the key, then, you will enter a tight passage which will lead you to some stairs, go up them to continue. You will now find yourself in an area with different textures. In front of the stairs the path continues, and you will find a small tech room with demons guarding it, here you can pick up ammo for the rocket-launcher. When you leave this room, follow the path straight ahead, which will lead to a small turn and you will see the exit. There is a small switch attached to the wall next to the player, press it and some steps will start to come out. Go up the stairs, open the exit door, kill an imp and you can press the exit switch to finish the level.

There's various secret areas, but these are optional and not needed to finish the map, unless you're aiming at fully completing it.

Secrets

 * 1) After going through the first door and up the first staircase, you will see a switch on your left. This opens a door outside (visible through the window) leading to a heavy weapon dude and three armor bonuses. The north-eastern wall of this area is a secret door leading to a heavy weapon dude and a backpack. (sector 117)
 * 2) The passageway west of the blue door has several short green pillars lining the walls. The south-eastern one, which has a beating heart on top, marks a secret door leading (via a lift) to a room with a super shotgun plus several monsters and ammo. The structure in the middle of this room has a secret door in the southern alcove, leading to a Hell knight, a megasphere, and a switch. The switch opens up doors in the north-west and north-east of this area, revealing areas each containing 1-3 demons as well as some ammo. (sector 114)
 * 3) North of the switch which raises the stairs to the exit is a corridor whose northern side has a secret door (marked with a greenish texture) leading to an outdoor area with a large pyramid. The south-eastern part of the blood moat surrounding this area has a section of fake wall, behind which are three armor bonuses, two stimpacks, a backpack, an energy cell pack, and (on multiplayer) a rocket. (sector 71)
 * 4) Entering #3 causes the steps of the pyramid to rise and fall, allowing access to the top, which contains a red key (necessary for exiting this area), a soul sphere and a megaarmor. (sector 53)
 * 5) West of the switch which raises the stairs to the exit is a section of wall which lacks the greenish texture of the surrounding walls.  This is a secret door leading to an area with a computer map, some monsters, and other items, including (through a secret door to the west) a yellow key which is necessary to leave this area. There are two secrets here. (sector 61)
 * 6) See #5. (sector 73)

Current records
The records for the map at the Doom Speed Demo Archive are:

The (absence of) data was last verified in its entirety on December 6, 2021.

Player spawns
This level contains twelve spawn points:
 * 1) facing south-east. (thing 166)
 * 2) facing north. (thing 167)
 * 3) facing west. (thing 168)
 * 4) facing north. (thing 169)
 * 5) facing west. (thing 178)
 * 6) facing east. (thing 179)
 * 7) facing east. (thing 180)
 * 8) facing west. (thing 181)
 * 9) facing south-west. (thing 182)
 * 10) facing north-east. (thing 183)
 * 11) facing south. (thing 210)
 * 12) facing west. (thing 211)

Things
This level contains the following numbers of things per skill level: